Olympic Stadium will host 2017 IPC athletics championships

London hosted one of the most successful Paralympics as venues, like the Aquatics Centre, were packed for events.

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After holding one of the most successful Paralympics, it has been announced that London will host the 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships

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They will be held in July 2017 at the Olympic Stadium, just a month before the same venue plays host to the IAAF World Athletics Championships. London will become the first city to host the two Championships side-by-side, recreating the summer of sport which transformed the city in the summer of 2012.

The Greater London Authority will organise the Championships, partnering with UK Athletics, ParalympicsGB, Newham Council, the London Legacy Development Corporation and the University of East London.

During the bid process, London Mayor Boris Johnson used the success of London 2012 to argue for the return of international Paralympic competition to the British capital, which receives 26 million overnight visitors annually.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “This year London just staged the best spectacle of sport the world has seen. By bringing the IPC Athletics World Championships to our wonderful Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park just a month before the World Athletics Championships, the capital is poised to recreate the magic of 2012.”

London’s international accessibility, infrastructure, logistics, expertise and enthusiasm to host global events was honed during the 2012 Games. The city hosted the first-ever sold out Paralympics this summer, staging one of the most accessible Paralympic events ever and establishing the foundation of a legacy for years to come after what IPC President Sir Philip Craven hailed the “best Games” in history.

In total 1,134 athletes took part in track and field events in London this past summer, setting 102 world and 139 Paralympic records. Of the 141 countries that participated in athletics, 75 won at least one medal. The athletics competition at the Paralympics drew sold-out crowds of 80,000 for every session and attracted more than a billion cumulated television viewers worldwide at what is now one of the world’s most well-known stadiums.

Ed Warner, IPC Athletics Sport Technical Committee Chairperson and Chair of UK Athletics, said: “The UK’s capital city has already demonstrated its ability to provide an excellent experience for athletes and spectators alike. London 2017 will bring record crowds for an IPC World Championships, creating an ideal backdrop for athletes to break records, further raising the profile of sport for people with an impairment in the process.”

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of the London Borough of Newham, said: “The dual legacy promises of the 2012 Games were to transform the East End of London and inspire a generation through sport. In partnering to organise the 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships Newham will not only help to secure that legacy, we will underline our commitment to enhancing opportunities for people with disabilities.”